Circle Time with a Difference

Sanjeeta Kakati

Have you ever walked from one place to another without your feet touching the ground? Sounds confusing? Happened to us as well.

At WinVinaya, we started a new initiative called Circle Time where all our associates and a few of the candidates meet once a week and play inclusive games, share stories, and get to know each other. Recently, in one of those games, we were told to walk from one corner of the room to another without our feet touching the ground.

25 of us were divided into 2 groups, each having 12-13 members with Persons with and without disabilities. Akila told us that the game has only one rule- your feet should not touch the ground. Other than that, you can do whatever you want and however you want to reach from one corner of the room to the other.

We were all looking at each other confused and that’s when one of us shouted saying go wear a slipper and walk. And that’s how we got the idea. We started running here and there looking for something to cover our feet. One got a chair; another one got some doormats. The guys brought 2 large desks and said we can use these as well to build a bridge and reach the other side of the room. It was fun to watch people running and copying ideas from one another and then teasing each other saying come up with our own unique, quirky solution.

Anyway, now that we were ready with our plans, it was time to execute it. One of our friends with a locomotive disability was sitting on the chair while another friend pushed her (safely) to the other side of the room. Another one was crawling on her knees. It was amazing to see how beautifully we all completed the task. We were then asked to do the same thing again but with one additional rule this time- we were not supposed to repeat the techniques we used the first time. This time it was harder but still a lot more fun.

From this game we realised how team building works. It seemed impossible at first but once all of us started putting ideas on the table, it was done in no time. It was fun and exciting to see how each one of us contributed and made it happen.

We believe the circle time has brought us all a lot closer as we got to know them beyond our work and our respective departments. It has also helped us relax and get refreshed before starting our work. Most importantly, it taught us how with few a twists and turns and customizations we can make any activity inclusive. We hope to continue this circle time with a lot more fun activities and games.